Father Brown - The Secret Gardenenormous in the twilight. The big black figure and yellow face of the man found in the garden
confronted them essentially unchanged. The second head, which had been fished from
among the river reeds that morning, lay streaming and dripping beside it; Valentin's men were
still seeking to recover the rest of this second corpse, which was supposed to be afloat.
Father Brown, who did not seem to share O'Brien's sensibilities in the least, went up to the
second head and examined it with his blinking care. It was little more than a mop of wet white
hair, fringed with silver fire in the red and level morning light; the face, which seemed of an
ugly, empurpled and perhaps criminal type, had been much battered against trees or stones
as it tossed in the water.
"Good morning, Commandant O'Brien," said Valentin, with quiet cordiality. "You have heard
of Brayne's last experiment in butchery, I suppose?"
Father Brown was still bending over the head with white hair, and he said, without looking up:
"I suppose it is quite certain that Brayne cut off this head, too."
"Well, it seems common sense," said Valentin, with his hands in his pockets. "Killed in the
same way as the other. Found within a few yards of the other. And sliced by the same
weapon which we know he carried away."
"Yes, yes; I know," replied Father Brown submissively. "Yet, you know, I doubt whether
Brayne could have cut off this head."
"Why not?" inquired Dr. Simon, with a rational stare.
"Well, doctor," said the priest, looking up blinking, "can a man cut off his own head? I don't
know."
O'Brien felt an insane universe crashing about his ears; but the doctor sprang forward with
impetuous practicality and pushed back the wet white hair.
"Oh, there's no doubt it's Brayne," said the priest quietly. "He had exactly that chip in the left
ear."
The detective, who had been regarding the priest with steady and glittering eyes, opened his
clenched mouth and said sharply: "You seem to know a lot about him, Father Brown."
"I do," said the little man simply. "I've been about with him for some weeks. He was thinking
of joining our church."
The star of the fanatic sprang into Valentin's eyes; he strode towards the priest with clenched
hands. "And, perhaps," he cried, with a blasting sneer, "perhaps he was also thinking of
leaving all his money to your church."
"Perhaps he was," said Brown stolidly; "it is possible."